


The fall

by Castilian



Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluffy Ending, Hospitals, Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Sports, Whumptober 2020, Worried Merlin (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castilian/pseuds/Castilian
Summary: It is just a football match, but Arthur ends in the hospital anyway.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056551
Comments: 6
Kudos: 104
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	The fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sunfall_of_Ennien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunfall_of_Ennien/gifts).



> Written for Whumptober prompt nº 29: emergency room.
> 
> For Sunfall_of_Ennien, though I don't know you, you're kind words have encouraged me to keep writing. I hope you like it.

There was a blue car in the parking. Merlin knew because that was the last thing he saw before it happened.

Merlin did not know why he kept coming to these things. He hated waking up early on a Saturday. It was his day for resting after a long week. And for some reason, football matches had to be incredibly early on a Saturday morning. And then, there was the fact that Merlin did not like football at all.

But Arthur beamed so much every time Merlin went to see him play. 

It had been raining all night long, everything was damp, and Merlin’s seat was hard and cold. He looked at his watch. Twenty more minutes of this torment and then, they could go home. It was too late to go back to bed. But they could still spend the rest of the Saturday lazing around on the sofa.

Someone behind Merlin shouted something. He couldn’t make out the words, but a part of him wanted to shout back “it’s just an amateur’s game, calm down”. Of course, Merlin remained quiet. Some people take these things with too much enthusiasm. Arthur was one of those.

Because Merlin was not looking at the moment, he did not know how it happened. One moment he was sitting there, bored. And the next, Arthur was lying on the ground while the people around him shouted and the other players crowded around Arthur.

It took some moments for Merlin to react. He felt paralyzed, seeing Arthur completely immobile. When someone called for an ambulance, Merlin jumped from his seat. As he approached, he saw Gwaine, one of Arthur’s fellow players, and another player from the rival team doing something to Arthur. “They’re pulling out his tongue,” Merlin thought, terrified.

All the players had gathered around Arthur. Merlin ran, terrified and knelt beside Arthur. Merlin looked at Gwaine, kneeling too at his side, his eyes bright with unshed tears. 

"What happened,” whispered Merlin. But no one knew.

“Here, that'll keep him warm.” Someone, Merlin did not know who did it, covered Arthur with a blanket. He had eyes just for Arthur. He knew that their friends were there with them, and they were reassuring him. But Merlin felt lost.

“Arthur, Arthur,” Merlin called over and over, but Arthur never reacted.

The ambulance came at last. As Arthur was taken inside, Merlin felt someone coming at his side. 

“Come on, Merlin, I’ll drive you to the hospital,” offered Gwaine.

“I have to take our things,” said Merlin helplessly, but he did not move. 

“Lance has taken care of them. Come on.” 

They were the last to arrive at the hospital. All of Arthur friends were there. There was Lance, with Arthur’s bag as Gwaine had said. Leon, their goalkeeper, was the first to approach Merlin when he entered.

“They wouldn’t say anything to us, but I think the ambulance has arrived already.”

“Thanks. Thank you all for coming,” Merlin tried a smile, but failed.

They had arrived shortly after the ambulance, and it took a while for Merlin to get information. At first, no one seemed to know anything, and it took all of Merlin willpower not to go into a panic. That would not help Arthur.

But Merlin's head was full of dreadful thoughts all the same. What if it was a heart condition? Many athletes had died in the middle of a match, and they had never been diagnosed before. And Arthur had an enough stressful job to cause a seizure.

With every passing minute, Merlin’s sinister thoughts just increased. Maybe it wasn’t a heart condition, but what if Arthur had damaged something in the fall? A spinal trauma. Merlin could not recall whether Arthur had been moved before the paramedics had arrived.

“Here, take this.” Merlin looked, startled. He had been so lost in his head that had not noticed Gwen approaching. “Thanks.” Gwen smiled, apologetically at Merlin’s grimace, “I know it’s too sweet, but I have heard it helps somehow.” 

“He is going to be okay,” said Gwen after a while. And Merlin wanted to believe her. But he was so scared.

By the time a nurse came to fetch him, Merlin did not know what to do with himself. He threw the empty cup on the floor and then went back to throw it in a bin, panicking when couldn’t find one. Gwen came to his rescue, once again.

“How is he?” asked Merlin, already dreading the answer.

“The doctor will tell you in a moment,” answered the nurse.

There was good and bad news. Merlin breathed relieved when the doctor reassured him about Arthur’s health. “We have found nothing to worry about,” he said. “But because he lost consciousness for some minutes, I prefer he stays overnight, just to be sure everything is fine.”

Arthur was awake when Merlin entered his room. “How mad are you?” Said Arthur and smiled apologetically.

“Well, you’re lucky I’m more terrified than anything else now,” said Merlin.

He went to Arthur and kissed him briefly. Now, seeing Arthur fine, all his anxiousness, worry and fear turned to something else. It was Saturday, and they were supposed to be enjoying each other’s company. Instead, they had a long night ahead of them in a hospital.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was, Arthur? I had no idea what was wrong with you.”

“I am sorry, Merlin.”

Merlin sighed. He knew it was a lost cause. Arthur cared about football and his team of fellow amateurs too much.

“I know. It’s just I’m tired of you getting hurt because of football. You’re not a kid anymore. Listen to me,” said Merlin when Arthur was about to protest. “Two months ago you sprained your ankle. You had had tendonitis at least three times. And soon after we started dating, you went under knee surgery.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“I’m not joking,” said Merlin. “It’s just, you could take sports a little less seriously,” he added.

“I’m not that terrible,” said Arthur but stopped when Merlin glared at him. “Fine, I’ll take things more lightly in the future.”

“At least you have to, now. Doctor’s orders. And you’ll have to stay the night at the hospital. What a wonderful weekend.”

“Come here,” said Arthur, tugging Merlin’s arm until he was lying next to Arthur. “I promise I will make it up to you.”

“You better.”


End file.
